Classes will resume Monday at Broomfield High School where air tests showing higher than expected levels of asbestos forced officials to close the school Friday afternoon.
A team of environmental technicians conducted two sweeping rounds of air tests on Saturday to determine the source of the asbestos, Boulder Valley School District spokesman Briggs Gamblin said. Of the 50 tests, 49 showed no presence of asbestos, and one test indicated marginal amounts, Gamblin said.
“We submitted our results for review by public health and environment,” Gamblin said. “Our procedure and results were found to be sound, so we don’t know what caused the spike in the initial test.”
But just to be safe, Gamblin said, the school will retain its independent environmental consultant for at least the next few months to conduct random, periodic air tests.
The Broomfield-Ralston Valley boys basketball game that was postponed from Friday night was rescheduled for Dec. 20 and will be played at Broomfield High, Gamblin said.
The asbestos scare began when school maintenance were surprised to find high levels of the fiber crystals in a school corridor during air quality tests Thursday.
The school had been monitoring the clean-up of a boiler repair that contained asbestos debris, but there was no measurable level of asbestos in the boiler room when the presence of the fiber was detected in the adjacent hall.
Cassie Hewlings: 303-954-1638 or chewlings@denverpost.com.
